Chapter 38 - The King Has Come Home (TCOK)
The sun was dipping to the horizon by the time Tubba, Clubbar and Chubba set off for Ice Land. Tubba had desperately pleaded with Mud to buy him a day; while his decision was made(he was going to be leaving with the SS Mahruav), he would like to see Mycerinus safely on the throne before he decided to leave. Ice Land's capital was about a days' travel north of Gusty Gulch, and was ruled by a sub-King of the Mushroom Kingdom. The Crystal King had taken over that area six years ago, but the Mushroom Kingdom reclaimed it soon after. Soon, the willowy trees and lush grasses that consituted the Grass Land part of the Mushroom Kingdom beyond Forever Forest began to fade into the ice blocks and snowy forests that epitomized Ice Land. With Chubba moaning about the cold, Clubbar giving lessons on how Clubbas were cold-blooded, and therefore could survive cold or heat, bordering on extreme. Tubba, however, kept his lips closed and soldiered on, leading the way down the path. The dirt and gravel paths were now slippery ice blocks, so care had to be taken while striding across them. To compound these issues, a snowstorm was clearly brewing up, for the sun was now hidden from sight through a layer of thick, blustery clouds. As the sky behind the clouds darkened to black, big, fat flakes of snow began to fall. Still resolutely treading on despite the cold, Tubba's tenacity ensured that Chubba would not quit until Tubba did, for fear of being outdone by his brother. Together, the two of them shepherded the older and weaker Clubbar through the snow and howling wind that soon became heavy. As long as they stayed on the path, they would be alright. It was not until the first traces of dawn that Ice Land's capital came in sight. Frozen to the bone and soaked after a night's travel through the vicious snow storm, which was showing no sign of letting up, the Clubbas were weary and looking to find Mycerinus as soon as possible and leave the area. Ice Land's capital, Frosty City, was a very imposing city, made out of ice blocks. Since the temperature rarely rose above the freezing point of water, and the city was so close to Sea Level, ice blocks had become a proven way of building the towering skyscrapers of ice ahead. The sub-King, who was bequeathed a magic wand by Princess Peach, used his magic to enchant the ice blocks to radiate their own heat and not melt under the heat anyway, leaving the climate change issues of the present unbothersome to the Ice Land citizens. The city was surrounded by a thick, stone wall, with a frozen river snaking through the centre of the city. In the centre of the city, next to the river, were skyscrapers as tall as the Clubba Castle, and as one got farther away from the river and closer to the wall, the buildings shrunk in size until one reached the housing size. The castle in the capital was easily as big as Clubba Castle, but had much more towers and was built completely out of ice blocks. Since they entered the city just before the break of dawn, next to no one was on the streets. Pushing their way through the snow to an to an inn, they were instantly bathed in warmth and light. A female Toad that could not have been over thirty stood at the till at the front, with a purple spotted cap and clothes befitting a five-star hotel. Knocking the icicles out of their hair, they reacquainted themselves with being warm. "Hello!" The Toad waved as they entered the hotel, Clubbar, being the oldest among them, took the lead to the till. "We're currently fully booked, but you're welcome to stay in the lobby for as long as you like!" "We were only looking to stay here for an hour anyway. Thank you." Clubbar nodded to the Toad. "By the way, we've come here in search of someone named Mycerinus. Do you know who he is?" "Well, golly, I do!" The Toad exclaimed, and Tubba and Chubba exchanged a glance. What a stroke of luck. The very first person in Ice Land they asked knew who Mycerinus was. "In fact," the Toad continued, "most everyone here in Frosty knows who he is." Tubba strode to Clubbar's side at the till. Gesturing at himself and Chubba, he began, "we are Mycerinus' cousins. We have come to ask him something. Do you know where we can find him?" The Toad took a moment to think, and then answered: "Mycerinus is obsessed with the defence of the city. He's the one who built that massive stone wall. He's an incredible, thinking, architect, so I think you'll find him at his newest project at the crack of dawn. He's building yet another skyscraper next to Ice Castle." "What's your name?" The Toad asked Tubba after they gave her their thanks. Clubbar and Chubba were discussing whether they needed to stay in the inn at all. Clubbar won, and they decided they would leave the inn immediately, striding toward the door. "Tubba." Tubba answered after a second, realizing she was waiting for his response. Not waiting for her response, he followed Clubbar and Chubba back to the door, before the Toad's voice echoed behind him. "Wasn't there a Tubba who was a murderer in recent times?" Gripping his club tightly, Tubba stopped dead. His instincts were telling him to whip around and roar "NO!" But he knew that would just spark fear. Taking a deep breath, he didn't dignify her question with a response and strode out the inn. The cool that met him was a thankful antidote to his boiling rage. ''I have to learn to control it. Yelling won't make a good person. ''Following Chubba and Clubbar down the path toward Ice Castle with his head bowed against the pelts of ice thrown into his face. Both Chubba and Clubbar were out of sight, having walked fast into the cloud of wind of snow ahead. He assumed he would meet up with them when they stopped for directions to Mycerinus' new project. An hour later, the storm had begun to ease. They had reached Mycerinus' project, a skyscraper a little more than halfway done completion, and were consulting with the White Clubbas around for where Mycerinus was. According to the White Clubbas, Mycerinus was small Clubba who looked like an adult, but was still a year and a half away from official Clubba adulthood. What set Mycerinus apart from all the Clubbas in Ice Land was his incredible worth ethic. As always, a Clubba who could overcome the species eternal struggle with laziness could become an exceptional one. Tubba waited outside the skyscrapers as Chubba and Clubbar were escorted up the levels to where Mycerinus was working. He had elected to stay behind to ponder his future. The SS Mahruav knew his past. Maybe he shouldn't stay with them. I just need a fresh start. Glancing up the walls of the skyscraper, he could see one green, one teal, and one blue Clubba conversing. If Tubba was right, Mycerinus would drop everything to be crowned as the Clubba Kingdom's King. Eight hours later, four Clubbas entered through Clubba Castle's front gate.